Electron
Microscopy involves the study of different specimens by using an electron
microscope. Through the use of an electron microscope we
can see things that we would not normally be able to see with our
eyes.

So
what makes an electron microscope different from the microscopes
you use in science class? An electron microscope uses super
small particles called electrons to help us magnify what we
are looking at. A regular microscope that you can find in your science
class room uses light to magnify specimens. What's good about
using electrons instead of light to view specimens is
that we can magnify an object up to 200,000 times its normal size.
Imagine being able to look at a flea as if it were bigger than you!

Unlike
your regular microscopes in school, we cannot see things in color
using an electron microscope. Also, you can only place inanimate objects
in an electron microscope. If you wanted to look at a bug in
the electron microscope, it must be dead.

Before
we can look at a bug (or anything) in an electron microscope,
it must first be prepared. The preparation process is three steps:

1.
The specimen must be dehydrated (all water must be removed)
2. The specimen must be coated with a super thin layer of gold
3. The specimen must be placed in a vacuum (a place where the air
pressure is significantly lower)

How
does it all work? The electrons themselves are generated
by a thin wire in the "gun" of the electron microscope.
Electricity is then passed through the wire and then focused
by magnets onto the object. When
the electrons strike the object wrapped in gold,
they bounce off of the gold
layer to a detector. This forms a detailed image of the object.